DHC Supplies, Inc. About Us Page

DHC Supplies has been a 100% ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) Construction Supply Company since 1991. As employee-owners we take great pride in the level of service and knowledge we provide our customers. Some of our team members have been with DHC Supplies (formerly Don Hoban Company) for more than 20 years. Many have worked in the construction trades as well. We know that the experience and knowledge of our people when it comes to construction challenges cannot be matched by the competition. When you call us during business hours most likely a knowledgeable sales person will answer the phone. You won't have to speak to a machine or receptionist. When you email us during the work week you will get a quick reply. These are just some of the reasons you should consider doing business with us. We get it done!

Don Hoban Company, Established 1961

DHC Supplies was originally established as Don Hoban Company in 1961 by it's founder, Donald J. Hoban. After World War II Don was selling construction equipment and parts throughout the Southeast. An opportunity opened up for Don to move to California to do basically the same thing. He jumped at the chance. In 1961 with the blessing of his current employer (and a loan from his mother in law and brother) Don started a company in Sacramento, California with the same emphasis of selling equipment and parts to masonry and plastering contractors throughout Northern California. Being a small two man operation Don incorporated in 1966 and started expanding his product lines to include structural hardware and pneumatic tools and fasteners. As the building industry changed over the years Don Hoban Company took on additional lines to meet the customers needs. Even today we are continually adding new product lines to serve our customers better.

Expansion

Like any small business Don looked for ways to grow the business. In addition to bringing on more lines over the years we opened stores in various locations in California. Unfortunately none of the stores were as successful as we would hoping they would be. Therefore we made the necessary decision to shut them down. However, the news was not all bad. In 1972 Don expanded the business by opening a new store in the Reno, Nevada area. After two years the store was moved to a larger location in nearby Sparks. Due to the continual business growth we moved four more times over the next 26 years. We have been in our current 28,000 square foot location since 2000. With the booming Nevada economy our Sparks branch played a major role in the expansion of both sales and products of the company. We are extremely proud that we are the oldest construction supply store in the Reno-Sparks area. In the early 90's Don was offered the chance to purchase the struggling Golden Gate Equipment in Novato, California. The store was a perfect fit for our company and the transition went as smooth as one could hope for. With two successful branches (Sacramento and Sparks) already established this provided an opportunity to expand into the Northern California coastal areas. After a few years we moved the branch to Santa Rosa to be closer to where most of our customers were located. We eventually had to move this branch again to a larger location to handle business growth.

Employee Ownership

In 1991 Don made the decision to sell the company to the employees through an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan). This was a somewhat complicated transaction that involved very strict government regulations that had to be followed. It was all so new to us and there were definitely some bumps in the road. The first phase of the purchase consisted of buying 35% of the company. In 1998 that transaction was completed and we were ready to purchase the balance. At that time Donald G. Smith Jr. became the company president and CFO. He is still with the company today providing the leadership to get through these struggling times. With Don's leadership we became a Chapter S corporation and paid off the second two-thirds of the ESOP in less than four years.

Don Hoban Company Becomes DHC Supplies!

In 2004 the board of directors of Don Hoban Company made the decision to change the name of the company to DHC Supplies, Inc. It was felt that since we were 100% employee owned the new name would better reflect us as a company of employee-owners as opposed to a company of one individual. To this day this is still a somewhat controversial decision within the company. However, no matter what our company name is, there will never be a change in our desire and determination to provide our customers with the outstanding service we are known for.